Hoshi: With the Grigori gone and Mephisto arrested, things quickly start to change, starting with the Academy being temporarily closed and Yukio becoming the new Head of the Japanese branch. It’s not his only new title however, as Yukio mentions he’s also the newly appointed Paladin. Shura almost immediately tells Rin of the news, but as he protests about his brother beating him, Yukio shows up. He tells that the only reason he’s been made Paladin is to carry out the Vatican’s plan called Jacob’s ladder. As to what the details of that plan are, they have yet to be revealed.

Meanwhile, the Cram school students are given all sorts of demon slaying weapons to choose from and are instructed to follow behind their more-skilled superiors as they viciously kill all sorts of demons. Once they’re killed, a red glitter-like substance flows from the bodies and lights a special symbol on all their weapons…

Yukio makes his report on their ‘Crusade’ and as he walks away, reveals the continuation of his and his grandfather’s conversation during the train ride. Ernest says he can make Rin human again once they destroy Gehenna and rid the world of all demonic power. Yukio says it’s impossible, but from behind he sees what Ernest calls the Messiah, a weapon can be launched anytime on his command, but the Gehnna gate has to be opened first. They’ve been able to create an artificial one and to maintain it for a long time they would need an immense amount of demon blood. Not only could this plan help Rin, but also Yukio. After demon killing, Rin meets up with the rest of the students at a camp in the forest. A boar suddenly comes charging through, and is quickly shot down by Yukio. It crashes into the other side of the forest, saying that they have hurt his kin even though they’ve been protecting the forest for over 2,000 years before receiving another bullet to the head, the fatal blow. Rin, hearing everything the boar had said, stops Yukio and tries telling him. However, he only says he needs to kill all demons, even Ukobach and Kuro. He then points a gun at Kuro on Rin’s shoulders. Just as Yukio’s finger pulls the trigger, Rin grabs the gun and points it away from Kuro.

When Rin refuses to let go, Yukio suddenly whips out a clawed hand and throws him harshly, knocking him out without a single look of remorse on his face. Yukio then gets a call with an order to take Rin to the Vatican immediately. Coming out of his unconscious state, Rin wakes up to find himself in the Vatican headquarters prison alongside Mephisto, who’s been imprisoned because of his work in the study of Artificial life almost 500 years ago. Mephisto doesn’t stay long though as he turns himself into a dog and slips away to catch the show unfolding. It’s then that Ernest appears, telling Arthur he has to be on the defense to make sure no one interrupts a ceremony…

Meanwhile, the cram school students, confused about the current situation go to Professor Tsubaki and find out that Rin is to be sentenced to death! His execution will take place at the top of the Academy, where he is now being lead, handcuffed and strapped to a cross. The group of exorcists gathered around the site start praying as the special demon slaying weapons, gathered in piles, start leaking blood to form a large circle in the middle. Ernest then draws Rin’s sword and thrusts it into the ground, shocking Rin. Yukio finally appears, confused. Ernest tells him that they are going to sacrifice Rin to open the Gehnna gate!

In the last bit, the cram school students, managing to get past Angel thanks to Shura, arrive at the top of the Academy with quite the sight in front of them: dead exorcists, a large hole, Ernest crying out that the gate has opened a way for Armageddon, an unconscious, bleeding Rin, and the lone figure of Yukio drenched in blue flames~

End thoughts~

Hoshi: First of all, I apologize for the extremely late post. You know, college and all that homework jazz. Anyways, WHAT-IN-THE-WORLD-IS-GOING-ON. If it felt chaotic last episode, this episode brought that chaotic feel to a whole new level. Everything was fast-paced, war-like, and a bit crazy with all those major changes going on that no one explained, and left others to only question quietly to themselves. It definitely had that pre-end-of-the-world feel to it, like a story where they take extreme measures to prevent a small doom, but end up ruining the world and all life around them in this attempt to save the world.

For some reason it felt cruel to see how they dealt with the demons so violently. I know they are supposed to exorcise demons, defeat them and what not, but the way they had went about animating how they killed them made it seem quite horrific. Their weapons I think also added to that feel since it was just guns and the occasional blade weapon. Before the weapon change, it was small guns, chanters, and the like, which seemed less menacing, but then here they are this time around equipped with big guns that steal the dead demon’s blood. And there really was no mercy, no hesitation or questioning if maybe this demon was possibly a familiar or protector of a certain area, as Yukio showed when shooting that boar. I actually sympathized with Shiemi and Izumo this time around.

I also really, really, really couldn’t stand just how…naïve Rin was in the beginning of the episode. I honestly wanted to slap him for acting so normal. YOUR TWIN BROTHER DOESN’T SHOW UP FOR DAYS, BECOMIS PALADIN, AND BECOMES HEAD OF THE BRANCH MAGICALLY IN THOSE FEW DAYS; why are you so CALM about it? It was a small scene but I got so irritated, I couldn’t let it go .This entire episode was literally a Gasp-fest for me with Yukio becoming Paladin AND Head of the Japanese branch, and that ending with Yukio seemingly possessed by Satan, and Rin possibly dead (though I doubt they’d really kill the main character. This is Shounen). I thought it was over once the ending song started playing, but NOPE. What a surprise I had with that last bit…

Mephisto’s monologue in the preview was killer…I don’t think I’ve ever been so anxious or scared for an upcoming Exorcist episode before…SUNDAY WHERE ARE YOU~

Hime: I take back what I said about Yukio being smart; he’s a dumbass. I was sort of half right about his motives, though. He was in it for Rin’s benefit, but turning him human? Didn’t see that coming. And when he called Grandpa a liar, as if it was outrageous, oh how I laughed. I was like DUH, YUKIO. He might as well be called Shady McEvilDude and you trusted him with THE LIFE OF YOUR BROTHER. Another thing I found really funny was the execution of Grandpa’s plan; if he was going to use Rin to open the gate all along and have Satan possess Yukio…surely he should have made sure Yukio was actually THERE. Hell, he just sort of wandered in at random not knowing what was going on. I just kept thinking…What if he’d gone to lunch? Like, “God, all this scheming and lying is making me hungry. It’s not like the gates of Hell will open if I take a break for 5 minutes is it? Ohohoho~” The end of the episode was one of the most incredible things ever, though I’ll get to that later.

Using the students as unwitting blood gatherers was pretty dark and disturbing, I liked it. Something I hated though, and they do this in a lot of movies (like Godzilla, for example), is they make the characters feel bad for the things they are killing when it turns one-sided, forgetting of course the REASON they were hunting whatever monster it is in the first place. Like Shiemi asking “is this what exorcists do?” YES! YES! IT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO! I’m sorry, do you want to just toss the demons some of your men to om nom nom on just to even up the sides a bit? Fuck off. Just do you’re fucking job, leave the morals at the back door, please. Obviously Yukio was the opposite extreme wanting to kill Kuro and the boar God on loan from Princess Mononoke, but at least he was doing his JOB, and not letting some hypocritical view-point get in his way. I support your slaughter of the innocent, Yukio. *salutes* Yukio was such an asshole this time around that I doubt many will sympathise with him, but I still do. The Possessed Ending in games is always the hardest one…

I enjoyed the combining of the manga and the anime plotline again, even if it was done thinly. There was some definate parallels and it is kind of fun because it throws you off, I had my mind in knots anticipating how they were going to do things, and what scenes they were going to keep and what ones they were going to toss. That being said, despite all my musing about what they would do with Yukio, I was still reduced to incoherent jabbering and drooling when the end of the episode hit. When I could finally speak all I could think to say was: “They did it! They did it! They actually fucking did it!” I’d hoped for this kind of ending, mostly because demon!Yukio is so hot I just don’t even. But that image of him burning brimstone blue and with the fangs and ears and shit… I just haven’t been able to shake it from my brain since Sunday! BEST (and most evil) WAY TO END AN EPISODE, EVAR!!!!111!!!!!!! I can’t wait to hear what Jun does with this, oxygen mask on standby…. bring on episode 23!

It looks to be predominately a flashback showing just how we got from Yukio’s shocked face to Armageddon. Hnnng…need it now…..

Preview:

Is it really Armageddon for the Exorcist world? What happened in those few minutes before the students arrived? And has the unthinkable happened to Yukio? Will are questions FINALLY BE ANSWERED?! Looks like it’s another agonizing wait, folks. Until next week then~!!

True, though I don’t think they really leave much hanging, not anything too crucial. I think it’s easier to enjoy it if you are just along for the ride atm. Things are so rushed that if you start asking too many questions it will spoil the enjoyment.

When I heard the plan was called Jacob’s Ladder, I immediately thought of the torturous set of stairs in my city that seems to have everyone in an athletic fad. Ah exercise, why do you exist when we have anime, huh?
JK, now I shall state my agreement at the WTF factor at the suspenseful ending, more so than the weekly Yu-Gi-Oh duel ;P Agreed that Yukio and Rin were both stupid in believing what other people told them about the worldwide plan of attack on Gehenna. Of course though, it means entertainment for us 😀
It still feels a bit off the tracks since it doesn’t follow the manga anymore, but for the good reason of the unfinished conclusion to the manga arc, but who the hell doesn’t enjoy the prospect of a kickass battle between siblings over the bloody entrance into Hell?

I feel this show has never decided what “demons” are. There are two legitimate answers that are incompatible: either they are evil by nature, or they are just different. Either view could be the basis of a decent story, but AnE jumps back and forth without committing itself.

True, why do some of the demons take the form of little monsters while others resemble humans? I get the whole needing a body thing like the Amaimon/hamster thing but I see where you are coming from. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Still…DEM BLUE FLAMES LOOK SO KWL!!!!!!11111!!!!!11

I knew there would be betrayal. Yukio’s “grandfather” had traitor written all over him and Yukio fell for it. He probably doesn’t think much of them if they were just a means to an end. What possibly made him think Gehenna could be destroyed in such a way? This episode made the Exorcists look like the bad guys. Bloodsucker weapons? Is that even possible?

The guards aren’t good at their jobs. Rin’s still in his cell but Mephisto’s nowhere in sight and nobody has even noticed.

I felt sorry for boar that was killed for trying to avenge his kin who were protecting the forest. And that sounds like Princess Mononoke. Another show with giant boars and forest. What are the odds?

Now the question is: Did the blue flame power transfer from Rin to Yukio or did Yukio awaken with the power on his own?

Apparently so, but it comes back to my point; exorcist are supposed to kill demons. How they do it seems fairly irrelevent. Granted making the kids do their dirty work was pretty twisted, but I guess the exorcists finally have some strong back up now which enables them to do what they’ve been trained to, finally.

IKR? How can you NOT notice Mephisto in a room?

It was left very unclear, I don’t think Yukio could have got Rin’s powers, it was more like his own awaked and Satan took advantage of that blue-flame-psychosis to invade his body. What will happen next is anyones guess!

I’m going to go with dear Gramps being possessed by a demon, or simply being swayed by one in the right direction of Satan’s plans. Sincerely hope that’s still Yukio and not his sire taking hold of his body, but that’s just me being biased.

I cried, after Kotetsu I could not handle my Rin being treated in such a manner. But I love love loved this episode. I’m still mad at Yukio for being stupid and not just telling Rin everything! Rin is strong he can take it. But nooooo he has to work behind his brother’s back and end up making things worse.

After Kotetsu, I was not ready to see my Rin treated this way. But I love love loved this episode. It had action, drama and a twist in the plot. I missed it ;_; However, Yukio your an idiot. Why can’t you just tell Rin everything instead of hiding it and making everything worse!!

Apparently it’s anime law that they with-hold information from everyone else and make the situation worse for themselves and those around them instead of just spitting out what is needed to be known. It was the same between Rin and Konekomaru at one point.

Rin was pretty naive but I think that’s it’s understandable because it WAS his brother and I guess he has unfailing trust for his brother :/

This episode was so chaotic on so many levels. Did you guys see Rin in the end? I thought he died, I was freaking out. And Yukio with the power…Dx it was too much. Can’t wait until Sunday to see the ending .

That BASTARD JIJI! He was smelling of poo since the beginning but turning the brothers against each other? Yurusa nai! Also, Yukio becoming the vessel! Man, this episode killed me; they sure want to end this with a bang. I just don’t know if I will like it.